1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a portable thermal therapy system that is disposable. More particularly, this invention pertains to a coolant system for temperature therapy of an animal in which the cooling system is self-contained for shipping and delivery and is adapted for single use.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is advantageous to selectively apply thermal treatment to patients. Hypothermic treatment is useful for emergency treatment of injured persons. A common first aid for sports injuries is to apply ice or cooling to the injured area. Additionally, patients are often prescribed treatment programs involving application of a thermal device to a body portion of the patient periodically over a period extending from days to months. Cooling treatment is also useful for providing comfort. Many menopausal women have found relief from hot flashes by using cooling treatment to quickly lower their body temperature during the onset of a hot flash.
Physicians have used various devices and techniques to cool the body, including pharmacological cooling and various types of mechanically induced cooling. Mechanically induced cooling approaches generally fall into one of three categories: conductive, convective, or evaporative. While different implementations have been tried, many are limited by lack of practicality, difficulty of use, ineffectiveness, and/or excessive power consumption.
Conductive cooling therapy, that is, a cooling treatment in which the heat transfer mechanism is conduction as opposed to radiation or convection, is known and has been used. Ice packs, although primitive, provide quick localized cooling. A disadvantage of ice packs is that it is difficult to control the rate of cooling. It is also known to circulate a cooled fluid through a thermal pad wrapped around an extremity of a person. The fluid is cooled using various techniques, including using a refrigerant to cool the fluid.
A variety of conductive cooling therapy devices are known. An example of one such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,640,764, issued Jan. 5, 2010, titled “Portable coolant system.” The portable coolant system includes a hardshell cooler, such as a portable ice chest, with exposed fluid connectors. The configuration of the cooler is such that the cooler and peripheral components must be packaged in another container for shipping and handling in order to avoid damaging the various components and/or the exposed fluid connectors. Further, the hardshell ice chest is made of materials that are intended for extended use and it is not practical and economical to dispose of the portable coolant system after a patient completes a course of therapy.
These types of conductive cooling therapy devices are constructed for durability and are not suited for environmentally friendly disposal. Further, durable devices require components and construction techniques that make the therapy devices expensive, thereby discouraging the disposal of the therapy devices after the course of treatment is completed.
Foldable portable coolers are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,420, titled “Foldable portable cooler with enhanced over-center locking handle,” issued on Jan. 4, 2005, discloses a container configured for storing beverage containers. Such foldable portable coolers are passive devices that provide advantages by being shipped and stored as flat blanks in bulk and being conveniently deployed by end users.